Michelle, I would have had a mini years ago if I hadn't had dogs. Now I can't afford one! I still have a 1992 Izuzu Rodeo that has 158,000 miles on it. I swore I would drive it into the ground. What a gem, I put almost no money into it except to change the oil every 3000 miles. Like you, I drive very little. Mostly lived near work and took few road trips. Then one day, at around 155,000 miles, my radiator went out just outside of Garberville, in the Sierras. I coasted into town, even my glasses steamed up. That got handled and then about 5,000 miles later my water pump went south. That's when I decided I couldn't trust the old girl for road trips. Not wanting to put damp, smelly dog in my pretty new car, I kept the Rodeo just for the dogs. I keep it insured only for liability. It's also good for dump runs and friends borrow it if they're moving. I bought a Prius in 2007 - then I sold it in 2008 for a bit more than it cost me. Now I have a Honda Fit. Small, nippy, but has very good cargo space, I found could fit dogs in it if only they would sit down and not smell. Hence keeping Rodeo. It's really fun to drive and now with Scoop gone, it works well for Rags. He was never the one to go full out swimming and deep sea diving so he was never the smelly one. Rags just stands in the back, body quivering, whining "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Rob, I once had a Miata and I loved it too. I sold it to buy a teepee. I had more fun in the Miata.

Someone ran into me back in Nov and totaled my 2008 ES 350 Lexus, and I purchased the the 2016, same model, shortly afterwards. I didn't test drive any other car! I love the way it sits, not too high or too low, as with many of the new models. It has every option known to man, a very generous trunk, and spacious back seat. I've had a couple of 'altercations' with heavy truck treads on the road, which caused absolutely no damage to the under carriage. DD has a Kia and had the same thing happen,and did cause damage and a part needs replacing. It also feels heavier than most cars I have ridden in as a passanger. Also free car wash any time I need/want. ;)

My Nissan Versa is not in the same quality category as the Subaru, I think (I previously drove a Legacy for many years, a very good car, except for the problem with the CV joints) or others, but I do vote enthusiastically for the interior room in this small hatchback. I have carried a dresser, two full bales of hay can go in, I can put my bicycle in the back without taking the front wheel off -- that was a major want. The MPG was the best for the lowest cost at the time that I was shopping -- and the seat is far more comfortable than my Mazda's. So it ticked all my boxes for very little $$. I'm actually on my second one. Its big flaw, to me, is that the seats don't fold flat to the floor, leaving a rather big step up in the middle of the cargo space. I'd recommend that you think about why you want a hatchback (what will you be hauling?) Look at the clearances -- some hatchbacks cut the door much narrower than the interior, which limits the size of items you can get in even if the interior space is there. Look at the height of the cargo space too, because wide and shallow isn't all that useful. Toyota has a new Corolla Hatchback -- I haven't seen one yet, but I am always positively inclined toward both Toyota and Honda.

I have no doubt that you'll love your RR and the cooled seats are a must in your area. I used to think they were over-kill but they're in the new F-Pace S that DH just bought and I will definitely get them in my next car. His seats are black and I swear that they get hotter than my beige ones so the cooled vents help. While DH loves his Jaguar I think it's just a tad too small for my purposes and probably for yours too. He traded in his MB sedan because he wanted something that was sporty and more fun to drive. He opted for the gasoline engine because I have a diesel MB SUV and that's the one we take on trips - better mileage and much larger than his car. His car also has the gas saving feature where the engine shuts off when the car is stopped - but you can also turn that off which is what we did. I wonder if you will have that choice with your RR? My car only has 30,000 miles on it and my DDIL needs a vehicle now that they moved out of the city to the suburbs. DS offered to buy mine since it's big enough for his 2 dogs and future children. I just have to find a replacement vehicle and I'm looking at RR. We want another diesel and MB, Porsche and Audi stopped making diesels in the US. I also detest run-flats and I think I can still get real tires at LR/RR. You'll have to report back and let us know what you finally picked - and photos too. Maire